Field sprayers, as known in the art, are typically attached to, or towed by, an agricultural implement such as a tractor or other vehicle, or are a dedicated self-propelled sprayer vehicle, Such sprayers generally include a fluid holding tank supported by a frame. The fluid holding tank typically stores a crop protection fluid, such as pesticides or liquid fertilizer, which often consists of a carrier fluid (such as water) mixed with a chemical at a predetermined concentration. The fluid holding tank, in turn, is fluidly coupled to a series of spray nozzles spaced apart from one another along booms extending outwardly from the frame. Accordingly, the crop protection fluid may be dispensed through the spray nozzles onto the farm field, preferably in an even distribution spray pattern, so that the fluid is applied consistently across the farm field.
In some situations, the outlet of spray nozzles (orifices) may become worn out, thereby causing an undesirable increase in fluid flow (or undesirable loss of pressure at the same fluid flow) and/or irregular spray patterns at the spray nozzle outlet. This may result in a wasteful distribution of excess fluid and/or an inefficient distribution of fluid on the agricultural field. Consequently, what is needed is an efficient way to accurately determine when a particular spray nozzle has worn out and therefore requires replacement.